Wistey Continues Distinguished Career

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State senior Imelda Wistey is writing the final chapter of her decorated career as a Cyclone in the 2013-14 season.

The West Des Moines native came to Ames with a list of accomplishments already on her resume. A three-time letter winner at West Des Moines Valley High School, Wistey broke the Iowa high school state women’s record in the 100 breaststroke in a time of1:03.75 on her way to a state championship in the event during her senior year.

Before transferring to Iowa State, Wistey spent a year at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. During her only year as a Pioneer, Wistey broke school records in the 100 butterfly (0:57.01), 100 breaststroke (1:02.55), 200 breaststroke (2:20.01), 200 IM (2:10.08), and 400 IM (4:32.78). Wistey was also a member of the 200 and 400 medley relay teams who also set school records at Grinnell.

During that same year, Wistey set a number of conference records and won a number of individual conference championships while leading the Pioneers to a Midwest Conference team title. Earning All-America honors in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, Wistey placed third and 16th in each event, respectively, at the 2011 NCAA Division III Championships.

After joining the Cyclones for her sophomore year, Wistey’s success continued. During her first year at Iowa State, Wistey recorded 22 first place finishes throughout the season. During the following year, Wistey claimed three top-three finishes at the Big 12 Championships, setting the new school record in the 100 breaststroke in the process with a time of1:01.35.

Now in her senior year, Wistey is off to yet another hot start. Through just three meets, Wistey already has seven first-place finishes including two pool records set at South Dakota in the 100-meter breaststroke and the 400-meter medley with times of1:12.21 and4:24.85, respectively. The senior leader says that she and her team are on the right pace for a successful season in the pool.

“I would say that it’s going really well. I’m performing; I’m executing on what I’m working on in practice,” Wistey said. “I’m excited to see where the rest of the season takes me and the rest of the team.”

While she has been able to enjoy a very distinguished career at multiple levels, the Cyclone standout’s hard work and meticulous attention to detail in practice was the source of her success.

“I work on a lot of things. The breaststroke is a very technical stroke,” Wistey said. “If something’s not feeling right [in a meet], I try to focus on that in practice. I love working on little details.”

With this being her last year with the Cardinal and Gold, Wistey is focusing on enjoying the competition and living in the moment when she is with her team. One such source of enjoyment is her underclassmen teammates.

“I enjoy spending time with the freshmen, I enjoy spending time with the sophomores, and I don’t see a separation,” Wistey said. “It’s more about enjoying ourselves and just racing.”

Wistey plans to continue doing just that throughout the remainder of her senior year: racing. She will spend the next four months preparing for the Big 12 Championship for the final time and racing towards one of the most storied careers in Iowa State swimming and diving history.

“I love performing for something bigger than myself,” Wistey said. “When I touch that wall [for the last time] and I see what I get, I’m just going to say thank you. This has been such an experience, and I just want to make everyone, including myself, proud.”